Weekly MWC Football Release #14
Rams to Play in AXA Liberty Bowl; EA Sports Las Vegas Bowl to make decision Tuesday.
Nov. 29, 1999
LAST WEEK:
Saturday, November 27
NEW MEXICO 33, AIR FORCE 28 (Albuquerque, N.M. attendance 21,013)
SAN DIEGO STATE 39, WYOMING 7 (San Diego, Calif. attendance 20,662)
COLORADO STATE 35, UNLV 17 (Las Vegas, Nev. attendance 16,498)
THE AXA LIBERTY BOWL SELECTS COLORADO STATE
The AXA Liberty Bowl has extended an invitation to Colorado State to participate in its Dec. 31 bowl match-up with Conference USA champion Southern Miss. This will be CSU’s first appearance at the Memphis, Tenn. bowl and fifth bowl appearance in the ‘90s. The Rams’ last bowl appearance was in 1997 (Holiday Bowl).
The EA Sports Las Vegas Bowl will announce its selection on Tuesday, November 30. The bowl announcement, all-conference teams, players of the year, coach of the year and freshman of the year will be announced on the final weekly MWC football coaches teleconference beginning at 10:30 a.m. MT.
BOWL LINE-UP: A regular season champion will represent the MWC at the AXA Liberty Bowl and play the Conference USA champ (Southern Miss) on Dec. 31, 1999, in Memphis, Tenn. (ESPN, 5 p.m. Eastern Time). The runner-up or second-choice team will play the WAC champ (Fresno State) in the Las Vegas Bowl on Dec. 18 (ESPN2, 6 p.m. Eastern Time). MWC teams have a 3-3 record in Liberty Bowl games and a 1-2 record in the EA Sports Las Vegas Bowl. Both agreements are three-year deals beginning in ‘99. Commissioner Craig Thompson is working on securing other bowl affiliations for the MWC.
Liberty Bowl Results
1964 Utah 32, West Virginia 6
1989 Mississippi 42, Air Force 29
1990 Air Force 23, Ohio State 11
1991 Air Force 38, Mississippi State 15
1992 Mississippi 13, Air Force 0
1998 Tulane 41, BYU 27
Las Vegas Bowl Results
1994 UNLV 52, Central Michigan 24
1997 Oregon 41, Air Force 13
1998 North Carolina 20, San Diego State 13
BOWL HISTORY: The three MWC champions, which are under consideration for postseason bids (BYU, Utah and Colorado State), have combined for 32 bowl appearances. BYU leads the group with 21 appearances, all under LaVell Edwards. Utah has made seven appearances, while CSU has played in five bowls.
Three MWC teams played in bowl games last season. In 1998, BYU lost to Conference USA Champion Tulane 41-27 at the Liberty Bowl, San Diego State finished the season with a 20-13 defeat to North Carolina in the Las Vegas Bowl, and Air Force defeated Washington in the Oahu Bowl 45-25.
All eight MWC teams have appeared in bowl games in the ‘90s. Wyoming has not played in a bowl game since 1993. UNLV participated in the Las Vegas Bowl in 1994, and the other six teams have been invited to bowls at least once over the past three seasons.
BYU is 7-13-1 all-time in bowl games and ranks fourth nationally in consecutive appearances with 17. The top five schools with consecutive appearances are: Nebraska (27), Alabama (26), Michigan (21), BYU (17), and Ohio State (15).
Of the three teams which are under consideration this week by the AXA Liberty Bowl and EA Sports Las Vegas Bowl this season, CSU has been to the postseason the least. The Rams have played in four bowls in the ‘90s the 1994, ‘95 and ‘97 Holiday Bowl and the 1990 Freedom Bowl.
Utah has made four bowl appearances under Coach McBride the 1992 and ‘96 Copper Bowl and the 1993 and ‘94 Freedom Bowl. Utah was invited to both the Sun Bowl and Pineapple Bowl in 1951 but declined the invitations. In 1941, the Utes were scheduled to play Hawaii in the Pineapple Bowl a game that was canceled due to the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The Utes are 3-4 overall in bowl games.
Team Bowl Record Last Appearance
BYU 7-13-1 1998 Liberty Bowl
Colorado State 2-3 1997 Holiday Bowl
Utah 3-4 1996 Copper Bowl
WEEKLY HONORS:
Sean Stein, New Mexico, QB, Junior (MWC Offensive Player of the Week)
Sean Stein completed 21-of-29 passes for a career-high 300 yards and two touchdowns in a 33-28 win over Air Force. Stein was 9-for-10 passing for 171 yards and two touchdowns in the second half. Stein rushed for a touchdown and also caught a 3-yard pass for a first down in the key third-quarter drive.
Scott Nicholson, San Diego State, DT, Senior (MWC Defensive Player of the Week)
Scott Nicholson played an integral role in San Diego State’s defensive effort in the Aztecs’ 39-7 win over Wyoming. He recorded six unassisted tackles, including two for 17 yards in losses. Nicholson also forced a fumble, recovered a fumble, knocked down two passes and recorded a sack for a 10-yard loss.
Dallas Davis, Colorado State, PR/WR, Junior (MWC Special Teams Player of the Week)
Dallas Davis returned five punts for 112 yards including a 77-yarder which led to the team’s first touchdown in the Rams’ 35-17 win over UNLV. He finished the season with 543 punt return yards, just 12 shy of the school¹s single season record.
The following is a list of MWC Players of the Week:
Sept. 6 Kevin McDougal, CSU Brian Urlacher, UNM Deone Horinek, CSU
Sept. 13 Kevin Feterik, BYU Kevin Thomas, UNLV Aaron Elling, WYO
Sept. 20 Kevin Feterik, BYU Jay Hill, UTAH Jackson Whiting, AFA
Sept. 27 Jack Hawley, SDSU Matt Lehning, WYO Tom Waring, WYO
Oct. 4 Mike Thiessen, AFA Greg Pollard, CSU C.W. Hurst, CSU
Oct. 11 Jeremi Rudolph, UNLV Brain Urlacher, UNM Duane James, UNLV
Oct. 18 Scotty McKay, AFA Kimball Christianson, UTAH Steve Smith, UTAH
Oct. 25 Darnell Arceneaux, UTAH Ula Tuitele, CSU Owen Pochman, BYU
Nov. 1 Kevin Feterik, BYU Jared Lee, BYU Dallas Davis, CSU
Nov. 8 Frank Rice, CSU Rob Morris, BYU Deone Horinek, CSU
Jay Stoner, WYO
Nov. 15 Jay Stoner, WYO Patrick Chukwurah, WYO Steve Smith, UTAH
Nov. 22 Kevin McDougal, CSU Kautai Olevao, UTAH Corey Nelson, AFA
Nov. 29 Sean Stein, UNM Scott Nicholson, SDSU Dallas Davis, CSU
LAST WEEK’S GAMES:
Saturday, November 27
Colorado State 35, at UNLV 17
CSU’s Kevin McDougal ran for 113 yards and two touchdowns Saturday to lead the Rams to their fifth straight victory and a share of the Mountain West title. The Rebels struck first as Jeremi Rudolph scored on a 2-yard run to finish an 80-yard drive. Colorado State answered with a 2-yard run from QB Matt Newton to tie the game with 48 seconds remaining in the first quarter. UNLV scored again in the second with an 80-yard drive capped by a 10-yard TD pass from Matt Ryan to RB James Wofford. McDougal scored on an 8-yard run at the end of a 51-yard drive to give the Rams a 21-17 lead going into the fourth quarter.
The Rams scored twice more to put the game away. Newton, who completed 22 of 32 passes for 227 yards, threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to Joey Cuppari to make it 28-17. Then Rashaan Sanders scored on a 6-yard run with 5:05 remaining.
At New Mexico 33, Air Force 28
UNM QB Sean Stein completed 21-of-29 passes for a season-high 300 yards and the Lobos converted on four fourth-down situations to beat Air Force. UNM rallied from a 21-7 first-half deficit. Stein scored on a 1-yard run with 1:27 left in the first half to start the comeback, and the Lobos snuffed out an Air Force scoring drive in the final seconds of the first half. With the Falcons at the New Mexico 11, defensive back Stephen Persley intercepted Mike Thiessen’s pass in the end zone. New Mexico, which had scored just 17 points in the third quarter this season, took over the game by scoring three straight touchdowns in the quarter. The best third quarter of the year started with a 26-yard pass from wide receiver Germany Thompson to halfback Ted Iacenda, who was 20 yards behind the nearest defender. The Lobos took the lead for good 2:30 later on a 55-yard TD pass from Stein to Rob Carson. With 22 seconds left, Stein connected with Ted Iacenda for a 6-yard TD pass.
UNM’s Brian Urlacher had 14 tackles and returned three kickoffs for 79 yards and forced a fumble by Air Force halfback Matt Rillos at the UNM 3-yard line midway through the fourth quarter. Urlacher also set up a Stein-to-Iacenda 6-yard TD pass with a 19-yard punt return to the New Mexico 43.
At San Diego State 39, Wyoming 7
SDSU QB Jack Hawley threw three touchdown passes and Jonas Lewis rushed for 131 yards to lead the Aztecs to a conference win at home. Hawley completed 13-of-23 passes for 232 yards and three touchdowns to lead an offense that gained 478 total yards, including 246 on the ground. Lewis finished his career as the Aztecs’ second-leading rusher all-time with 2,843, behind Marshall Faulk (4,589 yards in three seasons). SDSU stymied a Wyoming offense that averaged 38 points and 502 yards in winning its last three games. The Cowboys hurt their chances with four turnovers.
SDSU, which led 15-7 at halftime, took control of the game when it scored on Hawley’s 3-yard pass to J.R. Tolver five plays into the second half. The touchdown was set up when Tim Beasley fumbled and the Aztecs recovered at the Cowboys’ 8-yard line. The Aztecs also scored in the second half on Larry Ned’s 35-yard run, a 73-yard interception return by Will Demps, and Nate Tandberg’s 32-yard field goal.
GRID BITS: The Football News named SDSU’s Mike Malano and BYU’s Rob Morris to its All-American Third Team. UNM’s Brian Urlacher was selected to the Second Team by Football News and First Team by College Football News.com … Colorado State has the longest active win streak in the MWC, winning five, which gives the Rams the second-longest win streak in the conference this season. BYU had its six-game streak end with a loss at Wyoming on Nov. 13 … BYU’s LaVell Edwards is the nation’s third winningest active coach with a 251-94-3 record … CSU’s Matt Newton and Air Force’s Cale Bonds prepped at Cherry Creek High School (Colo.) and led their team in the respective senior seasons to the 5A Class title. The two faced each other on November 20 for the first time in their college careers.
ON THE ROAD: MWC had fared better on the road than at home through the first nine weeks of the season. Prior to the Nov. 20 games, only four teams had won at least one conference home game. They were: BYU (vs. Colorado State and Air Force), Colorado State (vs. Utah), Utah (vs. SDSU) and New Mexico (vs. UNLV). Both Air Force (vs. UNLV) and Wyoming (vs. BYU) captured their first MWC home victories on Nov. 13. SDSU and UNLV each close the season at home this week and are seeking their first home win in conference play.
Conference road record: 16-12
A GLANCE AT THE RECORDS:
-----Overall------ --Conf--
Team Home Away Neutral Home Away
Air Force 3-2 2-3 1-0 1-2 2-3
BYU 4-2 4-1 --- 2-1 3-1
Colorado St. 4-1 3-2 1-0 2-1 3-1
New Mexico 3-3 1-4 --- 2-2 1-2
San Diego St. 2-3 3-3 --- 1-3 2-1
UNLV 0-5 3-3 --- 0-4 1-2
Utah 4-1 4-2 --- 2-1 3-1
Wyoming 4-2 3-2 --- 2-2 2-1
ABOUT MWC FOOTBALL: The first series between two MWC teams started in 1899, when Wyoming and Colorado State faced each other. Prior to forming the MWC, six of the eight schools had played at least 120 games vs. MWC teams. Colorado State has played the most games vs. MWC teams (320 total prior to 1999).
The success and experience of its coaches are also hallmarks of the MWC. Prior to 1999, league schools have head coaches with a combined 94 years of head coaching experience and an overall winning percentage of .646. The MWC coaching ranks include numerous conference championships (WAC, Pac-10), Coach of the Year awards and NFL coaching experience. UNLV’s John Robinson coached in eight bowl games while serving as head coach at USC and took the Los Angeles Rams to six postseasons, including two NFC Championship appearances. SDSU’s Ted Tollner took USC to two bowl games, winning the Rose Bowl and Pac-10 title in 1984, before moving on to the professional ranks where he spent a total of seven years in the NFL as an assistant coach for three different organizations. Earlier this season, Air Force’s Fisher DeBerry became the winningest service academy coach with 124 wins in games vs. Army and Navy. At BYU, LaVell Edwards is in his 28th season at the helm and has taken the Cougars to 21 bowl games. In fact, his 243 coaching victories prior to the season ranked seventh all-time among NCAA Division I-A coaches. The most cohesive unit in the country, BYU has not had a change in its coaching staff for five straight years. Meanwhile, Ron McBride at Utah recently posted his eighth winning season in 10 years. Colorado State’s Sonny Lubick has been named conference coach of the year twice (1994 and ‘97) and won three conference titles in his six seasons. The former offensive coordinator at Miami (Fla.) from 1989-92, Lubick is the school’s all-time winningest coach and was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame on Oct. 9, 1998. The two newer coaches to the group are Wyoming’s Dana Dimel (3rd season) and New Mexico’s Rocky Long (2nd season). Dimel posted back-to-back 8-win seasons in his first two years at Wyoming. Long recently served as defensive coordinator in the Pac-10 (UCLA, 1996-97) and Oregon State (1991-95).
MWC vs. OTHER CONFERENCES: Collectively, MWC teams were 21-11 (.656) vs. all non-conference opponents in 1999 and 7-5 vs. conferences affiliated with the Bowl Championship Series. In its inaugural season, the MWC compiled the following records vs. BCS opponents Pac-10 (4-1), Big 12 (3-1), Big Ten (0-1), SEC (0-1), ACC (0-1). In total, MWC faced 12 BCS teams during the 1999 regular season. The MWC is 14-6 vs. other non-conference opponents.
EXPOSURE: Fifteen (15) games have been televised nationally on either ESPN (Washington at BYU, CSU at BYU, Utah at CSU, Air Force at CSU, Wyoming at SDSU), ESPN2 (Wyoming at Tennessee, Virginia at BYU, Air Force at San Diego State, Utah at Air Force, CSU at Wyoming, Wyoming at Utah, Air Force at UNM) or Fox Sports Net (CU-CSU, Air Force at Washington, Air Force at Navy). On September 25, the Mountain West Conference reached a milestone by surpassing the one million mark in total attendance (all games, home and away). After 12 weeks of play, a total of 2,024,413 fans had watched MWC teams play in person (54 games total). The average home attendance in the MWC is 34,634 (1,489,291/43 games). BYU leads the conference, averaging 65,185 (6 home games).
In total, 30 of the 50 games (60 percent) that include at least one MWC team this season will be televised by either one of the national or regional networks, or as point-to-point broadcasts.
WHERE THE MWC IS STATISTICALLY: Offensively, Air Force ranked second nationally in rushing offense (285.5), while BYU was eighth in passing offense (324.3) and 15th in total offense 33.0 ppg). CSU’s Kevin McDougal ranks 14th in rushing, and BYU’s Kevin Feterik ranks seventh in total offense (316.1) and 15th in passing efficiency (138.9). Feterik’s teammate Margin Hooks is 18th in receiving yards (97.00) and 35th in receptions per game (5.45).
BYU’s Lucas Staley (8.67) and Owen Pochman (8.18) lead the conference in scoring and rank 19th and 25th nationally. Pochman is seventh in field goals with 1.64 per game.
Defensively, Utah is sixth in pass efficiency defense (96.8) and 12th in scoring defense (17.6). San Diego State ranks 16th in total defense, allowing just 304.5 yards per game.
On special teams, CSU is third in punt returns led by Dallas Davis (16.91). Utah ranks right behind CSU with (16) and Steve Smith is fifth nationally (17.07). UNLV was fourth in kickoff returns (25.5), followed by Wyoming (24.8, 6th), Utah (24.2, 11th) and BYU (22.5, 26th).
A CLOSER LOOK AT THE POLLS: Over a span of two weeks, BYU went from a season-high ranking of 12th in the ESPN poll to dropping out of both polls after closing the season with back-to-back losses to Wyoming and Utah (Nov. 20). The Cougars were idle last week but jumped back into the ESPN poll at No. 25. BYU and CSU have each been ranked in the polls consecutive weeks. BYU had been ranked seven consecutive weeks prior to its Nov. 20 game with Utah, while CSU was ranked for two weeks straight and Air Force has been in the polls twice. Air Force was ranked 25th in the AP poll six weeks ago but dropped out after a 21-15 loss at home to unranked Utah on Oct. 16. BYU lost to Virginia at home on Sept. 25, 45-40, and dropped out of both polls after being ranked 17th (AP) and 19th (ESPN).
Here’s a look back:
Date ESPN Poll AP Poll
Week 1 (Aug. 29) No MWC team ranked No MWC team ranked
Week 2 (Sept. 5) No MWC team ranked CSU (#24)
Week 3 (Sept. 12) CSU (#24) BYU (#25), CSU (#23)
Week 4 (Sept. 19) BYU (#19), AFA (#25) BYU (#17), AFA (#24)
Week 5 (Sept. 26) No MWC team ranked No MWC team ranked
Week 6 (Oct. 3) BYU (#24) BYU (#24)
Week 7 (Oct. 10) BYU (#20) BYU (#21), AFA (#25)
Week 8 (Oct. 17) BYU (#19) BYU (#19)
Week 9 (Oct. 24) BYU (#15) BYU (#16)
Week 10 (Oct. 30) BYU (#13) BYU (#15)
Week 11 (Nov. 7) BYU (#12) BYU (#15)
Week 12 (Nov. 14) BYU (#19) BYU (#19)
Week 13 (Nov. 21) No MWC team ranked No MWC team ranked
Week 14 (Nov. 28) BYU (#25) No MWC team ranked
TEAM NOTES
AIR FORCE FALCONS (6-5, 2-5/7th Mtn. West)
AFA was 5-0 when it threw the ball 15 times or less, but only 1-6 when it threw more than 15 times. The Falcons were 5-0 when not throwing an interception, but just 1-6 when they threw for one or more interceptions … The Falcons scored a TD on their first possession of the game vs. UNM last Saturday, marking only the second time this season the Falcons have scored a TD on their opening series … WR Matt Farmer scored his only TD of the season vs. the Lobos. The 34-yard scoring strike from Thiessen capped a 7-play, 83-yard drive in the first quarter to give AFA a 21-7 lead … Whiting was a perfect 12-for-12 in field goals on the season and went 4-for-4 in PATs vs. UNM (and 26-for-26 in PATs on the season). His longest field goal was a 44-yarder … NG Buck Hodkinson blocked a Lobo punt in the first career to register his first career block … The Falcons blocked two punts vs. UNM and eight this season. AFA has 59 blocks in the ‘90s and entered the season ranked second nationally to Virginia Tech (64) … The Falcons have won 12 of their last 17 on the road dating back to 1997. However, AFA is just 3-3 on the road this season … AFA is after its 16th rushing title and leads the conference with a 285.5 average. The Falcons won 15 titles while a member of the WAC, including last season (266.8 per game average) … AFA won its 13th Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy this season overall and 11th under Coach DeBerry. The Falcons defeated Navy, 19-14, in Washington and Army, 28-0, in Falcon Stadium. This season marks the 28th year of Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy competition between Air Force, Army and Navy. The Falcons have dominated the series, winning 13 trophy titles compared to six for Army and five for Navy. With the win over Army, DeBerry won his 125th career game (125-67-1 record) and improved his CIC record to 26-6.
BYU COUGARS (8-3, 5-2/1st-tie Mtn. West - Co-Champion)
Completed season on Nov. 20 and jumped back into the ESPN poll at No. 25 this week … BYU was the only team in the MWC to not have at least one game without committing a turnover … K Owen Pochman connected on a 26-yard field goal in the first quarter vs. Utah in season final to extend the Cougars’ NCAA record to 311 games without being shutout. That streak dates back to 1975. Pochman’s kick also set the school record for consecutive field goals (15) … QB Kevin Feterik tallied 309 yards vs. Utah Nov. 20, marking the seventh 300-yard game of the season. Feterik has 3,554 yards on the season, adding to his career total of 8,065, which ranks fifth on the Cougars’ all-time passing list. Feterik also completed a season-long 77-yard touchdown strike to WR Margin Hooks, which marks the 16th straight game with at least one TD pass (19 of his last 20 games) … Hooks picked up his sixth 100-yard receiving game of the season with a 139-yard performance vs. Utah. He will enter his senior season in 2000 with 2,123 yards and needs 944 yards to take over the Cougars’ all-time receiving yards record … Feterik has thrown to 18 different receivers this season … Pochman became the Cougars’ all-time leading scorer with two field goals vs. Utah Nov. 20 and now has 247 career points … RB Luke Staley missed his second straight game with a bruise in his upper calf. Team doctors expect Staley to return to practice this week in preparation for a bowl game in December. Prior to Staley’s injury, the Cougars had averaged nearly 130 rushing yards but since his injury have dropped to just over 27.3 yards per game. Over the past two games, BYU has scored just one rushing TD … The BYU defense has scored twice this season. On Nov. 6 vs. SDSU, LB Rob Morris caused a fumble which Hans Olsen recovered and ran for the TD. Against Virginia, CB Brian Gray returned an interception for a TD.
COLORADO STATE RAMS (8-3, 5-2/1st-tie Mtn. West --- Co-Champion)
During its five-game winning streak, the Rams averaged 31 yards in penalty yards per game. In the first six games, CSU averaged 67.2 … Also during the winning steak, CSU averaged just one turnover per game. Ironically, in the first six games, they had 17 turnovers (2.83 per game) … The Rams are 8-1 when not throwing more than two interceptions, but just 0-2 when it throws two or more interceptions … CSU has won its fourth conference football title in the ‘90s, all under seventh-year coach Sonny Lubick … In 1999, the Rams completed 26 pass plays for 20 or more yards. Of those 26 plays, 13 have been for touchdowns. Five of the plays have been for 40 or more yards and two have been for 59 or more yards … CSU has gone 18-2 overall in games played in November under Lubick … RB Kevin McDougal has gained 2,898 career yards, which is fifth most in school history. His 1,164 yards in ‘99 is the fourth most in a single-season at CSU. His 13 career 100-yard rushing games is third most in school history … CSU’s defensive unit has forced 31 quarterback sacks in 1999. By contrast, the Rams’ offense has yielded only nine sacks. The 31 sacks ranks 10th on the school’s single-season records list … DE Clark Haggans has 34 sacks in his career (8 in 1999, 11 in both ‘98 and ‘99, 4 in ‘96) … P Deone Horinek finished the regular season ranked second on the school’s career punting list with 43.4 average … In 1999, the Rams finished with at least eight wins for the fifth time under Lubick and the 11th time in school history … SS Erik Olson has moved into a 10th place tie on the school’s career tackles list with 304 … QB Matt Newton has enjoyed one of the top seasons in school history. He passed for 2,368 yards in ‘99, the ninth highest season total in CSU history and second most by a first-year starter … WR Dallas Davis set a new school record for best punt return average in a single season. Davis averaged 16.9 yards per return, surpassing Greg Myers’ record formerly held since 1995 (15.9) … CSU has defeated CU, Wyoming and Air Force in 1999. This is the first time CSU has defeated all three Front Range teams in the same season.
NEW MEXICO LOBOS (4-7, 3-4/5th-tie Mtn. West)
UNM’s win over the Falcons last Saturday was its first since 1991, and ends a three-game losing streak to the Academy. The win is also UNM’s second vs. Air Force since 1982 … The Lobos went 1-6 in conference play last year but finished 3-4 in their first season as members of the MWC … QB Sean Stein was 21-for-29 for 300 yards and two TDs last week. The passing yardage was a career-high for Stein, and he now has thrown for more than 200 yards in four of his last five games. Stein became the first Lobo to throw for 300 yards since Graham Leigh threw for 359 yards vs. SDSU last year, a span of 17 games … In Stein’s first four appearances for the Lobos, he averaged 130 yards per game passing. In his last five games, he is averaging 213 ypg, having thrown for 1,064 yards … WR Rob Caston caught a 55-yard TD pass vs. Air Force, the longest of the season for a Lobo. Caston had just three catches for 26 yards coming into the game … WR Martinez Williams finished his Lobo career with 116 catches (6th all-time at UNM) and 1,042 yards, which is good for 10th all-time … WR Germany Thompson caught five passes vs. AFA and ends his career with 82 receptions for 1,153 yards, good for 14th place in UNM history. Thompson also threw his first career TD pass on a 26-yard toss to Ted Iacenda … UNM is now 3-4 under Rocky Long in games decided by five points or less and have won the past two close games … The Lobos’ third quarter TD vs. AFA was just the third game this season in which they have produced points in the third quarter. The Lobos have been outscored 105-36 in third quarters this season, however, the 19 points on Saturday was the most for the Lobos in a third quarter since Nov. 23, 1996, vs. UTEP (a span of 37 games) … UNM was 4-for-4 on fourth downs last Saturday vs. Air Force and in their last two games have gone 7-11 on fourth down opportunities.
SAN DIEGO STATE AZTECS (5-6, 3-4/5th-tie Mtn. West)
SDSU committed just two turnovers in its five victories, but had 22 in its six losses … RB Jonas Lewis finished his Aztec career as the school’s No. 2 all-time rusher with 131 yards on 22 carries vs. Wyoming last week. During his four-year career, Lewis rushed for 2,843 yards on 589 attempts … SDSU finished the Wyoming game with a plus-3 in crucial takeaway/giveaway category, recovering two Wyoming fumbles and intercepting a pair of passes and giving up the ball just once on a Jack Hawley interception. For the season, the Aztecs have turned the ball over 22 times in their six losses compared to just twice (total) in their five wins … The Aztecs’ 32-point margin of victory over Wyoming was the largest margin by SDSU over the Cowboys since a 21-0 win in 1984 … The SDSU defense, which ranked eighth nationally prior to last week¹s game, held Wyoming to just seven points. Prior to the game, Wyoming was averaging 29.5 points per contest … PK Nate Tandberg missed his first PAT of the season when his attempt was blocked by a Wyoming defender in the second quarter. Prior to the Wyoming game, Tandberg was 27-for-27 on the season and finished the year 31-for-32 on PATs … After not recording a safety since 1991, the SDSU defense registered its second in as many weeks when Cowboy long snapper Tim Glynn hiked the ball over the head of punter Tom Waring and out of the Wyoming end zone … The SDSU defense recorded two fumble recoveries for the third time this season last Saturday vs. Wyoming. The Aztecs also recovered a pair of fumbles against Illinois and Colorado State … QB Jack Hawley tossed TD passes of 36, 12 and 3 yards vs. Wyoming, giving him 15 on the season in nine starts. It is also the second time this season that Hawley has thrown three touchdowns in a game the other was vs. Kansas … Defensive Coordinator Claude Gilbert coached his last game vs. Wyoming on Nov. 27. He announced his retirement after spending eight years as the Aztec head coach and 20 years on the sidelines as an assistant.
UNLV REBELS (3-8, 1-6/8th Mtn. West)
UNLV earned as many victories this season (3) as the last two combined and won the most road games (3) since 1990 … The Rebels finished 1999 with impressive totals in the red zone. UNLV was 18-of-22 in the red zone and 16 of those scores were touchdowns, meaning the team scored a touchdown 73 percent of the time after entering the opponents’ 20-yard line … WR Len Ware had six catches in his final game as a Rebel last Saturday. He moved up two spots to second on the school’s career receptions list with 161. Ware also finished his career ranked fourth in receiving yards at UNLV with 2,322, and seventh in all-purpose yardage with 3,252. He also finished tied with two others for most career 100-yard games with eight and tied for sixth in career touchdowns with 16. Ware, who recorded four scores longer than 75 yards in his four years, including a 97-yard kickoff return this season vs. Utah, caught at least one pass in 39 of his 42 career games … James Wofford’s 41 yards vs. CSU last week gave him 1,672. The junior now stands in 10th place on UNLV’s career list and needs just 27 yards to pass Tony Lewis in ninth place (1,698) … Duane James had a career-long 57-yard kickoff return vs. the Rams. James is ranked 32nd in the nation in kickoff returns with a 23.53-yard average while teammate Troy Mason is listed at 36th with 23.13. The Rebels rank fourth nationally as a team in the category at 25.5 per return … QB Matt Ray threw at least one TD in all three games of his career. The true freshman threw for 216 yards vs. CSU, which marked the first time a Rebel quarterback had passed for 200 yards or more since Jon Denton threw for 401 vs. Wyoming in the season finale on Nov. 22, 1997. Last Saturday vs. CSU marked the first time UNLV had passed for 200 yards as a team since Kevin Crook and Chris Hayward combined for 279 yards vs. Air Force on Sept. 12, 1998 … Ray has yet to throw his first interception as a collegian. UNLV quarterbacks finished with just six interceptions this season, which broke the school-record low of seven in 1990. In fact, the Rebels did not throw a pick in their last 18 quarters played this fall … UNLV lost its school-record 12th straight home game last Saturday … UNLV failed to have even one 100-yard game by a receiver this season, marking the first time that had happened since 1978. The most yards for any Rebel receiver this fall was 94 by Nate Turner vs. Wyoming … Against CSU last week, CB Kevin Thomas added four more pass breakups to his UNLV single-season record. He finished with 24, which bested the record of 18 set by Anthony Blue in 1984. Thomas also recorded his fifth interception of 1999 the most for a Rebel since Alvin Horn tied the school record with six in 1986 … Two Rebels finished their career among the top tacklers in school history this season. DB Quincy Sanders, who totaled a career-high 104 tackles in 1999, finished ranked sixth all-time at UNLV with 270 tackles. Right behind Sanders was LB Jerrad Pierucci, who tacked on 80 more tackles this season to put him at 264 for his career good for seventh place … James Sunia posted a career-high 119 tackles this fall to give the linebacker 234 in just two years. That number puts Sunia at 10th all-time at UNLV, just one back of Rodney Mazion who logged 235 tackles from 1991-94. Sunia, who averages 10.6 tackles per game in his career, needs only 56 tackles in 2000 to become the school’s career leader over Darnell Pickens’ total of 289 tackles from 1984-87.
UTAH UTES (8-3, 5-2/1st-tie Mtn. West --- Co-Champion)
In the season final on Nov. 20, Utah defeated BYU for the fourth straight time in Cougar Stadium and has won 5 of the last 7 meetings vs. its in-state rival … Several records fell during the 1999 regular season, key among those were: RB Mike Anderson, average yards rushing per game in a career (102.4 ypg), Steve Smith, most yards on punt returns in a season (495), most punt returns for a touchdown in a game (2) and most punt returns for a touchdown in a season (3, tie), John Frank, most career sacks (27) and most tackles for loss (29, tie), Jay Hill, most intercepted returns for a touchdown, both single season and career (2, tie) … Mike Anderson’s 2,150 rushing yards is seventh all-time at Utah and the most ever by a two-year player. His also one of just eight Utes ever to rush for 2,000 yards and one of only two players to accomplish that feat in two seasons … Anderson claimed his fourth 100-yard rushing game vs. New Mexico on Nov. 13 and now has 11 career 100-yard games (four this season). His 10 rushing TDs this season tie him for fourth on Utah’s single-season list … Defensive backs Jay Hill and Andre Dyson have combined to score five TDs this season. Hill has scored twice on interceptions and once on a blocked field goal kick, while Dyson has one pick and one blocked FG attempt returned for a TD … DE John Frank surpassed 63 yards in tackles for loss vs. AFA Oct. 16, setting a new single season record at Utah. He now has 20 tackles (112 yards) for loss on the season … Frank’s 27 career sacks supasses the previous school record, which was held by Filipo Mokofisi (26, 1982-85). His 177 career yards in sacks ranks second in Utah’s record book … Frank needs one more tackle for loss to tie the record of 29, which is held by Luther Elliss (1991-94) … Backup QB T.D. Crowshaw has played in every game but the season-opener and has started four times and is 3-1 as a starter (vs. AFA, CSU, New Mexico, BYU) in place of an injured/sick Darnell Arceneaux. Croshaw had a career game vs. CSU Oct. 28, completing 18-of-29 passes for 241 yards and 1 TD. Croshaw has 1,176 yards on the season and leads the Utes with 14 TD passes … Steve Smith ranks first in the MWC and fourth nationally in punt return average (17.1 ypr, 29 returns for 495 yards) … Smith is averaging 78.2 yards per game receiving, which is eighth all-time at Utah in a single season … Utah’s two cornerbacks, Jay Hill and Andre Dyson, are tied for the MWC lead with six interceptions. Dyson is second in the MWC in passes defended with 22 and Hill is third with 16. Backup corner Teneil Ethridge ranks fourth, with 12 passes defended.
WYOMING COWBOYS (7-3, 4-2/4th Mtn. West)
WR Wendell Montgomery finished his career with at least one catch in 41 consecutive games, the second best mark in the nation. Ibn Green of Louisville has a 44-game streak … Montgomery finished his career No. 3 on Wyoming’s all-time receiving yards list with 2,883. He also finished his career No. 3 on the Wyoming career reception list with 181 … QB Jay Stoner completed his junior season third in career passing yards with 6,122. He needs 332 to move into second all-time ahead of Josh Wallwork … Stoner is now fourth on Wyoming’s career total offense list with 6,147 yards. He needs 103 yards to move into third place ahead of Joe Hughes … Over the final four games of the season, Stoner was 80-of-135 (.593) for 1,140 yards and six touchdowns … S Matt Lehning, Wyoming’s leading tackler, finished the season with 102 total tackles. He had four interceptions, five pass break-ups and a tackle for a loss … Wyoming finished the season 7-4, marking the fourth straight year of at least seven wins. That is the only time in school history the Cowboys have strung together four straight years of seven wins … Wyoming quarterbacks have thrown just three interceptions in the team’s seven wins, but have thrown 10 picks in its four losses … The 1999 senior class ended their home careers at Wyoming with a 20-4 (.833) record at War Memorial Stadium … WR Wendell Montgomery also caught a pass for his 41st consecutive game, which is the second-longest streak in the nation … From 1958-68, Wyoming faced Utah and BYU in the same season and earned a sweep against the pair in nine of those 11 years. Since 1969, the Cowboys have faced the Utes and the Cougars in the same year 26 times and captured a sweep of the pair just four times. Prior to this year’s sweep, Wyoming accomplished the feat in 1976, ‘87 and ‘88 … K Aaron Elling has three of the conference’s five longest field goals this year. He has connected on field goals of 56, 55 and 52 yards.
